Japan again makes no mention of Koreans' forced labor at Sado memorial event
Japan again stopped short of acknowledging the forced nature of Korean labor during a ceremony Saturday commemorating victims of a World War II-era mine complex in the country. The annual ceremony was first held in 2024 as a fulfillment of Japan's pledge when the Sado mine in Niigata Prefecture was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in July 2024. Hamamoto Yukiya, director-general for…
Japan once again avoided acknowledging the forced labor of Koreans during a memorial event held on Saturday to commemorate victims of a World War II mine in Japan. This annual ceremony, which began in 2024, was established following the Sado mine's inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage site in July 2024. Hamamoto Yukiya, the director-general for cultural affairs at Japan's foreign ministry, participated in the ceremony as a government representative alongside approximately 70 other attendees.
According to Hamamoto, who spoke on behalf of the Japanese government, workers from the Korean Peninsula endured grueling and hazardous conditions within the mine during the war. He emphasized, "Sadly, some people lost their lives here." However, his statements mirrored those made at the two previous ceremonies and did not explicitly reference the forced nature of Korean labor at the time.
In response, Korea boycotted the event for the third consecutive year, citing the lack of progress in negotiating with Japan to include a statement recognizing that Korean workers were subjected to forced labor.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
